Nation’s Feeder Cattle Post
Modest Gains Of $2 Last Week

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. —(USDA)— Feeder cattle traded steady to $2 higher as both the futures and the fat cattle markets showed signs of strength.

Feeder cattle buyers were encouraged by good rains through at least some of the wheat country. Not everybody was happy, though, as packers were complaining of a slumping boxed beef trade.

Fed cattle sales in the High Plains were $2 higher with most sales at $59 and showlists were pretty well picked over by the end of the week.

Rain through some of the Texas Panhandle, North Texas, and most of eastern Oklahoma put prospects for early wheat pasture back on track. Some market watchers attribute some of the success of fed cattle prices to the weakening dollar which will allow perhaps for better export movement. This also might be a contributing factor to sharp price gains in the grain trade, which will, in the end, affect feeding costs.

Yearlings made up approximately 44 percent of the week's run.

Some trading:

Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 525-650 lbs. $70-70.50, 700-800 lbs. $64-68, mostly $65-68, two loads 700 lbs. $70, 800-885 lbs. $61.50-65.50; 650-675 lbs. delivered $70-73, 700-800 lbs. $68-70.25, 800-900 lbs. $65-69.25; 610-735 lbs. for November delivery $70-73, 800 lbs. $68.50; heifers, 650-750 lbs. $61.50-65; 625-725 lbs. delivered $65-68, load 725 lb. blacks $69.50.

Oklahoma: steers, medium and large No. 1 550 lbs. $70, bulls $63, 750 lbs. $65; heifers, 650-725 lbs. $61-65.

Colorado: steers, medium and large No. 1 few loads 825 lbs. $67; 775-825 lbs. delivered $67.75-68.50; 525-600 lbs. delivered for late October $75-79; auction, 300-400 lbs. $81-87, few to $90.25, 400-500 lbs. $74-85, mostly $77.50-82, 500-600 lbs. $69-77.50, bulk $71-75.50, 600-700 lbs. $65.50-71, 700-800 lbs. $66.50-68.50, 800-900 lbs. $62-65.75, 900-1000 lbs. $58-64; heifers, 725-800 lbs. $63-65; few loads 800 lbs. delivered $65; few loads 450 lbs. delivered for late October $74, string 600 lbs. $69; auction, 300-400 lbs. $67.50-79, mostly $71-76.50, 400-500 lbs. $67-74, 500-600 lbs. $63.75-70, 600-700 lbs. $61-66.50, 700-800 lbs. $60.75-66.50, 800-900 lbs. $58.50-64.

South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 550 lbs. delivered late October $77.50, 675 lbs. $73, 800-850 lbs. $67-69.50; heifers, 500 lbs. delivered late October $69-70, 750-800 lbs. $65-66, 850-900 lbs. $61.75-62.50.

Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Western North and South Dakota: steers, medium and large No. 1 450-460 lbs. $80-82, 550-625 lbs. $71.50-73, 775-900 lbs. $65-69.50; auction, 285 lbs. $96, 350-400 lbs. $80.25-91, 400-500 lbs. $75.50-85.10, 500-600 lbs. $70-79, 650-700 lbs. $65.75-73.50, 700-800 lbs. $62-72.75, 800-900 lbs. $63-72.50, 900-985 lbs. $61-66.50, 1000-1100 lbs. $59.50-61.50; heifers, 400-450 lbs. $74-76, 575-600 lbs. $68, 800 lbs. $63, 1000 lbs. $59; auction, few 265 lbs. $91, 320 lbs. $85, 350-400 lbs. $71-80.50, 400-450 lbs. $70-76.50, 450-500 lbs. $68.50-74, 500-570 lbs. $63.50-70.50, 600-700 lbs. $62.25-67.75, 700-800 lbs. $62.35-65.60, 800-900 lbs. $61.25-65.60.

Montana: steers, medium and large No. 1 600-625 lbs. $70-75, couple loads 675 lbs. $71, 800 lbs. $68, string 900 lbs. $63; 475 lbs. for late October delivery $77, 500-550 lbs. $75.50-77, 550-600 lbs. $71-75.50, 650-675 lbs. $70-74; auction, few 420-450 lbs. $75-84, 450-500 lbs. $75-77.75, 500-550 lbs. $72.50-74.50, 550-600 lbs. $70-73.50, 635-700 lbs. $65.50-70, 740-800 lbs. $66.10-67, 800-850 lbs. $65-67, 850-900 lbs. $62-66.50, 950-1000 lbs. $61.50-62; heifers, 575 lbs. $65-66, couple loads 735 lbs. $65, string 850 lbs. $61.50, 450-475 lbs. $71-72, 500-550 lbs. $67-70.50, 600-625 lbs. $65-67; auction, 430-500 lbs. $66-70.75, 450-500 lbs. $66-68.25, 500-550 lbs. $65-67.50, 550-600 lbs. $65-66, package 645 lbs. $66.25, 700-750 lbs. $62-63, 750-800 lbs. $60.50- 64.50, 800-850 lbs. $61-64, 850-900 lbs. $60-63.75.

Washington, Oregon and Idaho: steers, medium and large No. 1 850 lbs. $62-64, 925 lbs. $61, auction, 400-500 lbs. $72-78, 500-600 lbs. $69-76.50, 600-700 lbs. $63-69, 700-800 lbs. $59-65, 800-900 lbs. $57-62; heifers, 775-825 lbs. $58-61; auction, 400-500 lbs. $62-67.50, 500-600 lbs. $61-65, 600-700 lbs. $55-61, 819-883 lbs. $52.50-56

Arkansas: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 300-350 lbs. $82-91, 350-400 lbs. $78-86, 400-450 lbs. $74-82, 450-500 lbs. $70-77, 500-550 lbs. $66-73, 550-600 lbs. $64-71, 600-700 lbs. $61-67, 700-800 lbs. $58-64; heifers, 300-350 lbs. $65-72, 350-400 lbs. $63-70, 400-450 lbs. $61-67, 450-500 lbs. $60-66, 500-600 lbs. $58-64, 600-700 lbs. $56-62, 700-800 lbs. $55-61.

Kentucky: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-300 lbs. $76-86, 300-400 lbs. $71-80, few $81-85.25, 400-500 lbs. $67-76, few $77-83.50, 500-600 lbs. $65-75, few $76-77.50, 600-700 lbs. $62-70, 700-800 lbs. $58-67, 800-900 lbs. $58-66, few $67-67.90; Holsteins, large No. 2 300-400 lbs. $50.50-58.25 400-500 lbs. $50-58.25, 500-600 lbs. $48-54, 600-700 lbs. $46-52.50, 700-900 lbs. $45.50-50.70; heifers, 200-300 lbs. $63-72, 300-400 lbs. $62-71, few $72, 400-500 lbs. $58-67, few $68-70, 500-600 lbs. $57-66.50, 600-700 lbs. $57-66, 700-800 lbs. $53.50-63.

Tennessee: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 300-350 lbs. $74-85 few $87.50, 350-400 lbs. $73-83 few $87, 400-450 lbs. $71-78 few $83, 450-500 lbs. $65-75, 500-550 lbs. $65-72 few $74, 550-600 lbs. $62-69, 600-700 lbs. $60-67 few $72, 700-800 lbs. $58-63.50; heifers, 300-350 lbs. $63-73, 350-400 lbs. $58-68, 400-500 lbs. $57-66, 500-550 lbs. $56-63, 550-600 lbs. $55-61, 600-700 lbs. $55-61, 700-800 lbs. $54-58.

Southeastern complex: auction, steers, medium and large No. 1 200-250 lbs. $90-105, 250-300 lbs. $80-90, 300-350 lbs. $75-92, mostly $83-93, 350-400 lbs. $70-82, 400-450 lbs. $68-80, 450-500 lbs. $64-74, 500-550 lbs. $63-73, 550-600 lbs. $58-68, 600-650 lbs. $56-66, some to $69, 650-700 lbs. $55-65, 700-800 lbs. $52-62; heifers, 200-250 lbs. $67-77, 250-300 lbs. $62-70, 300-350 lbs. $63-70, 350-400 lbs. $59-69, 400-450 lbs. $57-67, 450-500 lbs. $55-64, 500-550 lbs. $54-64, 550-600 lbs. $52-60, 600-700 lbs. $50-60, some to $63.